President Aviation RoundTable Safety Initiative, ART, Elder Gabriel.O.Olowo, has supported the reasons given by the Airline Operators of Nigeria AON for their call on the government not to implement the Single African Air Transport Market SAATM.
AON at a sensitization workshop by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, said they would at a disadvantage if the SAATM is implemented in Nigeria.
Chairman AON, Captain Nogie Megisson, said the position of the Operators is that Nigeria was not comfortable with the arrangements putting into consideration the challenges currently faced by Nigerian airlines which includes among others oscillating price of aviation fuel which accounts for 60% of their operating cost, inability to access foreign exchange, policy and somersault.
ART President, noted that, “Nigeria , its Airlines and the economy will remain disadvantaged AS IS to Europe, Americas, Near & Middle East and Asia as long as stake holders ( Government & Operators ) LACK THE WILL to evolve strong players in the sector”.
Explaining further, he said, “In the event that Government is not forthcoming with solution to the myriad of problems rightly identified by AON, why shouldn’t operators be innovative enough to evolve synergistic solutions derivable from collaborations, mergers and or acquisitions rather than the present parasitic Competition going on in the market place as it were in last 4 decades ? Small and Disunited Carriers !!!”.
But Africa will not continue to wait for Nigeria when the rest of the world is progressing with open skies and free market economies just because Nigeria Airlines and its business environment inhibit evolvement of strong carriers.
The truth is ICAO and IATA are pushing for it , ditto other strong economic partners of Nigeria and it will happen sooner than later.
He stressed that all hands must be on deck to prevent the industry bleeding more with the implementation of SAATM.
“We must put our acts together if we also don’t want to continue to loose in Africa with negative balance of trade as it were presently with other markets”.
